Children's Books: Say It with Animals

We know Valentine's Day is near when the picture books plastered with reddish pinkish hearts and kissy-huggy animals start to arrive. Here are some of our favorites, with promises that their charm and originality all transcend the high-pressure hype and cutesy trappings of February 14.

Before You by Rebecca Doughty (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $14.99, hardcover, 9780544463172, 32p., ages 4-7, December 27, 2016)
Before you, says the narrator, "I was a flower with no pot./ I was a polka with no dot." "I was a tail without a wag./ Just a bean without a bag." Rebecca Doughty captures the forlorn nature of each "before you" scenario with just the right amount of sadsack droopiness in her pleasingly spare, cartoonish artwork. The "tail without a wag," for example, is illustrated by a dull-eyed dog with her tongue hanging out, and an empty food dish. "I was a bowl without a fish" is illustrated, suspiciously, with an empty fish bowl and a cat pawing the side of the glass. When the much-anticipated "you" does arrive, the tune changes: "You put the fizz into the pop./ You put the flip into the flop." A fizzy adult-to-adult valentine.

XO, OX: A Love Story by Adam Rex, illus. by Scott Campbell (Neal Porter/Roaring Brook Press, $17.99, hardcover, 9781626722880, 40p., ages 4-8, January 3, 2017)
Ox is utterly enamored with the starlet Gazelle and finally musters the courage to write and tell her so: "Even when you are running from tigers you are like a ballerina who is running from tigers. I think that what I am trying to say is that I love you." Gazelle responds with a form letter and autographed photo, while staring into a hand mirror. Ox writes back again and again, until he finally gets under her skin by lovingly implying that she might have a fault or two. Is her main fault that she "could never, ever love an ox?" Or could she be persuaded? Scott Campbell's (Hug Machine) watercolor and colored pencil artwork is extraordinary. The quirky, endearing, suspender-sporting Ox contrasts splendidly with the glamorous, elongated Gazelle, who one day loves him back.

I Will Love You Anyway by Mick Inkpen, illus. by Chloë Inkpen (Aladdin, $17.99, hardcover, 9781481470995, 32p., ages 4-6, December 6, 2016) 
Mick Inkpen (the Kipper and Wiggly Pig series) packs a surprising emotional punch with this rhyming British import about unconditional love, and his daughter Chloë Inkpen's lively, expressive illustrations and the dramatic design do their part to tug the heartstrings as well. A bulging-eyed pug is no end of trouble. As he silently tells the redheaded boy he loves: "I steal your glove./ I steal your shoe./ I steal your socks./ They smell of you." The dog can't seem to behave, and the family's "Stops" and "Quits" are fruitless: "I cannot sit./ I cannot stay./ I cannot fetch.../ I run away." Eventually, the boy's parents can't stand it anymore: "I wag my tail./ (But I am bad.)/ You smile at me./ (But you are sad.)" He runs away for good this time. But the family comes after him. The dog makes no promises that he won't run away again, but it's a happy ending: "I don't do 'Sit!'/ I don't do 'Stay!'/ But I will love you anyway." Drop everything and read this wonderful book right now.

Love You Too by Alistair Heim, illus. by Alisa Coburn (Little Bee Books, $16.99, hardcover, 9781499801743, 32p., ages 4-8, December 6, 2016) 
A father pig and his beloved piglette spend an exuberant day together in this heartwarming call-and-response picture book with energetic, whimsical illustrations. Each page features father and daughter pig engaged in some fun activity (like making many, many pancakes), and there's always a directive ("When I say 'pancakes,' you say 'more.' ") This pattern continues as they ride bikes together, cavort on a tire swing, crunch watermelon at lunch and play hide-and-seek. Finally, the day winds down with bedtime and hugs: "When I say 'night-y,' you say 'night.' "  It's easy to imagine this book's joyful and affectionate call-and-response game echoing for decades and decades. "When I say, 'this one,' you say 'yes.' "

The Secret Life of Squirrels: A Love Story by Nancy Rose (Megan Tingley/Little, Brown, $16.99, hardcover, 9780316272636, 32p., ages 2-5, December 6, 2016) 
Canadian photographer Nancy Rose (Merry Christmas, Squirrels!) loves taking pictures of actual squirrels in silly situations. (No digital manipulation tricks--she creates miniature sets on her deck, hides peanuts inside them and waits for the squirrels' approach!) Here, she documents the pre-Valentine's Day activities of Mr. Peanuts, "a rather unusual squirrel" who feels lonely and would very much like to meet an equally unusual squirrel. A photo of him with a face full of tissues is accompanied by the text "Please don't cry, Mr. Peanuts!" One day, he meets Rosie in a bookstore, reading The Secret Life of Squirrels. They play hopscotch, jump from trees and "As the sun goes down, Mr. Peanuts realizes he's absolutely nuts about Rosie." He has a valentine at last. Odd, yes, but somehow just right for the squirrely occasion. --Karin Snelson, children's & YA editor, Shelf Awareness

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